Category Archive

Dana Tanamachi is the graphic designer, artist, and chalk extraordinaire behind these images. She clearly has an incredibly skillful hand and a deep understanding of type to be able to draw these images with such exquisite composition and balance.

I have literally been looking at her website and these chalk drawings every night for the past three weeks for a few reasons: One, I’m in love with her work (Did you see the way she wrote out “Nagging Doubt?” Swoon!), two, I want an intimate relationship with typography like Ms. Tanamachi and three, Jon and I have a chalkboard wall that’s been left blank until a couple of weeks ago. Needless to say, I didn’t accomplish a masterpiece similar to her work, but at least I have a goal to work towards (for eternity).

Cheers to you Dana Tanamachi! You have reinvented the way I look at chalk and you’ve given eye candy to typography lovers world-wide. Check out Dana’s portfolio here and watch some videos of her hard at work here!

The Curiosity Shoppe is one of those stores that’s been on my list of places to visit for a few years now. The items sold at The Curiosity Shoppe are quirky, fun, playful and I don’t doubt that the shop located in San Francisco has any less of a personality than its products. How clever are those Know It All Pencils, the old school phone plug-in head set, and the pair of glasses that’s actually a memory stick called “Four Eyes” USB Drive? You could spend quite a bit of time at their lovely shop so be forewarned, it might be a bit of a time sink (but it’s clearly worth it to discover all of its awesomeness).

Luckily, Jon and some friends I are planning a trip out to San Francisco this August so hopefully I’ll have the esteemed privilege of meeting the inspirational couple behind this quirky shop and seeing the eclectic products first hand!

I’m in love with the branding design Ryan Feerer created for the Abilene, Texas boutique Betty & June. I can’t get enough of the brilliant use of typography both in the logo and the wall behind the register. The shop’s paper products (bags, tags and biz cards) are all hand stamped. Did you catch that? Hand stamped! Unbelievable! Ryan mentions that it was time consuming, but it accomplishes the look they’re going for and it couldn’t be more charming. Upon discovering this boutique I immediately begged Jon to take a road trip there. What’s a measly three hour drive when good design is involved?

I unknowingly organized this post upon discovering brilliant creative Kelly Anderson’s portfolio without realizing that she is also the same person behind the record playing wedding invitation I recently posted on! I had to share this handkerchief map with you guys because not only is it awesome, Kelli has graciously written an entire post explaining the design process behind the creation of this map. She gives you descriptive details beginning from the conception of the idea to the printing of the digital files on fabric. If you’ve ever wondered “How did they do that!” when seeing a remarkably unconventional invite like I have many times before, then wonder no more friend, Kelli is here to share.

Don’t you think these macaroons are styled beautifully? Wait til’ you see the actual store that houses these brightly colored French pastries.

Honestly, have you ever seen a more immaculate macaroon shop? If yes, send me the link immediately, if no, please read on. Anagrama is the brilliant firm behind the branding and interior design of Mexico’s first macaroon patisserie, Theurel and Thomas. The entire shop was selected to be white to contrast and enhance the color of the macaroons.

My initial thoughts upon discovering this gem of sweet tooth goodness was “Boy, I really want a macaroon” and “The upkeep of this store must be ridiculous.” I mean, imagine trying to clean your stark white house everyday when you know the only thing coming through it are the delicious colorful crumbs of macaroons. I’d like to see what the daily maintenance for this place is. I’m way too type B to even consider the thought of maintaining what’s supposed to be perfectly clean on a regular basis. I’d much rather do math (and I hate math!).

Can you believe how gorgeous this nursery is? Whether you’re a mother or not, you absolutely need to visit Joni’s new blog, Lay Baby Lay, where she aims to understand the new role of motherhood she’s been blessed with while also sharing how to surround your little ones with beautiful and inspirational pieces. I was immediately smitten with her nursery when I saw it on Somewhere Splendid and couldn’t help notice that Joni’s new baby girl and I have the same name! It’s not every day you meet a Vivien ( unless it’s The Fresh Prince of Belair – Aunt Viv anyone?). And of course, her daughter is simply precious!

Be sure to visit Lay Baby Lay and give Joni and Vivi a shout out. I have no idea how she juggles new-found motherhood, her design work and a blog, but she does it with grace and such a good design eye. Definitely head over to Chocolate Butterbean if you’d like to see more of her work.

I’ve had my business cards from Alt sitting on the coffee table for a while so I thought I’d show my love for my favorite designs in the most appropriate shape I could think of – a heart!

The bottom photo showcases the three business cards that were the most creatively packaged. Melissa Esplin’s card came inside of a white envelope with an adorable assortment of stickers promoting her blog – IS.LY (standing for I Still Love You). Anna Lee Co. is an event design business made of two of the most stylish and energetic girls I met at the conference and I absolutely loved their mini promo package. Lastly, how can anyone exclude Danni’s brilliant package (packaging is her forte) that included a glassine envelope, wrap around sticker, beautifully stamped blog logo and a pin to put her biz card on your inspiration board at home.

I hope you enjoyed this roundup as much as I enjoyed receiving these creative inspirations.

Have a business card you’d like to give me? Would you like to exchange biz cards? E-mail me at hello@vivjordan.com and I’d love to do business (or coffee!).

Now this my friends, is some seriously sweet design. Please pay close attention to this faux bois wedding invitation by Magpie Paperworks on Gmund’s wood embossed paper. Isn’t it incredible? And I love the monogram on the invite that gives the feel of two young kids in love carving their initials in a tree. This is paper perfection.

It’s so hard to return to work after a wonderfully long weekend isn’t it? To help you get your feet on the ground I thought I’d make a nice arrangement of flowers in different hues of pink just for you. I hope you have a wonderful week, friends. Hang in there, Christmas is just around the corner!